Experimentally-determined carbon isotope fractionation in and between methane-bearing melt and fluid to upper mantle temperatures and pressures

The behavior of melts and fluids is at the core of understanding formation and evolution of the Earth. To advance our understanding of their role, high-pressure/-temperature experiments were employed to determine melt and fluid structure together with carbon isotope partitioning within and between (CH4 + H2O + H-2)-saturated aluminosilicate melts and (CH4 + H2O + H-2)-fluids. The samples were characterized with vibrational spectroscopy while at temperatures and pressures from 475 degrees to 850 degrees C and 92 to 1158 MPa, respectively.